People of Irish descent form a distinct ethnic group in Washington, D.C., and have had a presence in the region since the pre-American Revolution period.
History
18th century
By the mid to late 1700s, there were a number of first- and second-generation Irish Americans living in Georgetown, as listed in the early parish registers of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The earliest Irish immigrants in the region were shopkeepers, merchants, craftsmen, and general laborers.
During this period, the main working-class Irish neighborhood in Washington, D.C. was the waterfront area, below Bridge Street (today's M St.), which was considered to be Georgetown's poorer area at the time. Wealthier Irish American residents living north of the area became more accepted and assimilated into wider society in Georgetown, marrying into other middle class Catholic families of English and German descent.
In 1792, Irish American James Hoban was selected as the architect of the White House in Washington, D.C. Hoban was also one of the supervising architects of the U.S. Capitol, which had many Irish builders assisting in its completion. Hoban worked on other local public buildings and government projects in D.C., including roads and bridges.
The Corcoran Family
The Corcoran family was a prominent early Irish American family in Washington, D.C. The patriarch of the family, Thomas Corcoran, was born in Ireland, settled in Georgetown in 1788, and established a leather business. He was an early Irish American businessman and politician in the D.C. area, serving as mayor of the town of Georgetown, District of Columbia and a total of 22 terms on the Georgetown Common Council.
In 1836, Thomas' son, William Wilson Corcoran, opened a small brokerage house. In 1840, Corcoran and George Washington Riggs, the son of Elisha Riggs, formed "Corcoran & Riggs", which offered checking and depositing services. In 1844, the U.S. federal government allowed the firm to be the only federal depository in Washington.
19th century
Washington, D.C.'s first major influx of Irish came in 1844 from rural areas, spurred by the Irish Famine. Some Irish laborers were recorded as builders of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from the mid 1820s to the 1850s and as workers in the port of Georgetown. Records indicate that some of the Irish builders of the C&O canal were indentured laborers.
The local Irish community was greatly impacted by a cholera epidemic in 1832 which swept through the construction camps of the C&O canal, killing many Irish workers.
The Swampoodle neighborhood became a refuge for Irish emigrants arriving during the famine. Irish construction workers were early builders in the industrializing of the area. Many Irish households in the area kept a variety of livestock in their alleys, a practice that was permitted through the early 20th century. The Swampoodle neighborhood gained a local reputation as a "shanty town" with prostitution, crime, gang activity, and public intoxication.
In 1859, a Roman Catholic church, St. Aloysius Church was constructed and dedicated in the area. The church largely catered to the Irish Catholic population in Swampoodle. Many Irish families in the neighborhood also sent their sons to school at Gonzaga College High School.
Another area largely inhabited by Irish Americans in the mid to late 1800s was the Foggy Bottom area, which was considered to have more affordable housing during the period.
20th century
In 1904, several row houses in the Swampoodle Irish neighborhood on 1st Street NE were demolished to make way for the Tiber Creek tunnel. In 1907, the construction of Washington Union Station had a significant impact on the Irish American community in Washington, D.C. and the 1,600 residents of the area, as it forced the demolition of over 10 blocks of the Swampoodle neighborhood and over 100 apartment buildings, row houses, and businesses owned by the Irish community.
In 1949, The Embassy of Ireland in Washington was opened at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue at Sheridan Circle. The embassy has hosted cultural events and provided resources and support to Irish Americans.